"Six of Crows" Is My NEW FAVORITE BOOK// Book Review

Hello Rad Readers,

No, your eyes did not deceive you, and no, social distancing and quarantine has not driven me mad. Six of Crows is really just that good. I loved this book so much and I think everyone in the entire world should read it. I was surprised by how much I loved it. It was on my TBR since around August and I just didn't really care to read it, but then quarantine happened and here we are! Prepare for an entire blog post that could easily be summarized in these 3 words: READ THIS BOOK. I also see however, how it could also be interpreted in these 3 words: BEST BOOK EVER. Take it as you will...

Six of Crows follows six fascinating characters who take on an impossible mission, and we have the privilege of following their journey. The story begins in Ketterdam, a city where international trade takes place, but more importantly where anything can be had for the right price. Kaz Brekker knows this better than anyone. He's a notorious criminal prodigy from the slums with a talent for unlikely escape and impossible success. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off on his own. He assembles a crew of fascinating talent with troubled pasts and together they take on the heist.

Six of Crows takes place in the Grisha world where Leigh Bardugo's other series took place. A frequent question when it comes to this duology is "Do I need to read the Grisha Trilogy first?" No. As evidence by yours truly! I have never opened Shadow & Bone and I understood everything perfectly fine in this. It certainly stands on its own. It's a completely different story that just takes place in the same world, from my understanding. (I will absolutely be reading the Shadow & Bone series soon though!)

The characters that are brought to life in this book are absolutely fantastic. We follow the narrative of each character aside from one (for some reason, not really sure why he is excluded?). This allowed them to each be really developed individually, not just a prop to someone else's story line. They each have such strong personalities and very interesting back stories that you wouldn't expect but get to see as the story unfolds. They are so different from one another which makes most of their interactions hilarious, but they also have the versatility to be serious and driven, and I seriously liked them all which is certainly rare for this rad reader to say! I am so happy that there is a second book in this series because if not I might just die. I loved these characters so much and no matter how many times I say that (which is probably too many by now) it will not even come close to paralleling my true excitement and love!

Kaz is my favorite character easily. He is so cold and calculated and honestly just a genius. You know how in spider man Uncle Ben hits us with that fire line "with great power comes great responsibility," our dawg Kaz takes that line and throws it in the trash. He has the power and will use all of it for evil if that means getting what he needs. Homie has 0 chill but also all the chill in the world. If you stab his homie he will throw you off a boat but he also will do so without any emotions whatsoever and will sleep like a rock after doing so. He is capital U Unfazed. Nothing gets under his skin and he is always five steps ahead of everyone else. He has a million and one tricks up his sleeve but it is never just out of no where for the convenience of the plot. Once some big shocker is revealed that Kaz already knows or that he has already done you feel like a fool for not picking it up earlier. It just shows how well Leigh Bardugo developed these characters and this world. She knows every detail about them and it is completely transparent through the way that she writes. It is genuinely so impressive. Let me also say, the ending... GAVE ME CHILLS. Kaz is the coolest, baddest, most insane and vengeful character ever adapted for literature and I love it. Inej comes in a close second in terms of the most baller characters in this story. She can do no wrong in my eyes, she is the definition of vibes, and although she has that same "out for a vengeance" energy that Kaz does she is also kind. Not too kind though, she will stab you with her collection of knives if you cross her or the gang, each knife by the way, she has named which is SCARY. She is in for the job and will not let anything get in the way of her exacting her revenge on those from her past. My favorite kind of character! The rest (Wylan, Nina, Jesper and Matthias) are all ballers but not god like characters. They are exceptional but not so much as Kaz and Inej. You will just have to read it for yourself... ;) Very exceptional that an author was able to flush out six characters so completely and immaculately when most stories barely do so with two.

The characters were fantastic and interesting and fun, but I wouldn't say that this is a completely character driven novel. They are not the only thing that makes the story interesting is what I am trying to say. The plot line is equally as incredible. The story itself, the heist, the mission, it is positively thrilling. You become so invested in its planning, and the details, and the execution of it. You are always trying to predict what comes next. Ugh! I loved it! Some of the scenes were so intense and crazy I genuinely got nervous for the characters. The story just grabs you and before you know it you have been reading nonstop for three hours and only have 20 pages left but you wish you had so so so so many more! I am getting overloaded with excitement just writing this right now because THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD! AHHH!

The world that they live in is also so interesting. It's just such an fascinating environment; very dark, very moody, very haunting and mysterious. Certainly nothing like anything I've read before. It absolutely made me want to read the Grisha Trilogy. In fact, I must share that Shadow & Bone is in an amazon package on its way to my house at this very moment and I am about to begin reading the second book in this duology, "Crooked Kingdom!"

This book is also, just straight up, so well written. Leigh Bardugo is such a phenomenal writer that I do not even know how to put her godliness into words.

"Six of Crows" isn't going to change your life or anything, but I could easily reread it every week and never get tired of it. It's a fantastic story and a Rad Read indeed! We must make room for this on the list of Rad Reads certified bangers!

In trues "Six of Crow" fashion, I shall send you off with this: No mourners, no funerals... (You will get it after you read the book, trust me!)

- C8 ;)

"The Cruel Prince:" Mean Girls, But With Magic // A Review

Hello Rad Readers!

I have begun a new series that I will finish but not immediately, for this is just not as good as the hype lead me to believe. It was good, don't get me wrong, I don't think this was a bad book, it just wasn't anything special and I think I have the hype to blame for my disappointment. I didn't really care after a certain point. When I started the Mortal Instruments series I had to read them all back to back to back until I finished it because they each left me on cliff hangers and they made me want to know more, even after all the series was done. The Cruel Prince? It was good... it was okay... it wasn't anything super. I do intend on reading the rest of the series but even if I didn't I wouldn't feel like I'd be missing out on much. Oscar Wild said, “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” I personally would not reread this book. Honestly I think that it went on far longer than it needed to. Too much sulking, too much internal contemplation, too much that strayed away from the main plot lines, too much that I didn't really care about (that last part is just a personal issue). It was a fun story if you cut all that out and I really did like some of the characters and I thought they were developed pretty well. The world was interesting and there were a lot of great aspects to this story. So, that is why I gave it 3 stars on GoodReads.

We follow the perspective of the main character Jude. Her and her three sisters were taken captive at a very young age and taken to Faerie after their parents were murdered by... you guessed it... faeries. Being mortals in the land of Faerie is no easy gig. Jude has never belonged, but as the story develops you come to see that all she wants and all she has ever wanted has been that. To be like them, no matter how much she hates the truth of that matter. In order for her to find her place at the Faerie Court she needs to defy the prince and in this mission she figures out essentially what she is made of, what she is willing to do to get what she wants.

This was both the most hated and most loved book of 2018. The reviews were beyond mixed. Some people loved it and some people HATED it and some people hated it because other people loved it. I felt none of these ways...

Initially I was absolutelyyyyyy sucked in. I thought the world building was impeccable, I could really picture this beautiful land with magic and towers and castles. It reminded me of the way they describe places in children's books. Really beautiful and vivid writing! The politics of this world are also extremely developed and well thought out and well explained to the reader. The same cannot be said for a lot of books and I find frequently that is what will take me out of a story, little things that will make the rest not believable or too underdeveloped. That, as I said previously, was not the case at all in The Cruel Prince. You could tell that the author knew everything about her world and her story. The characters were for the most part fairly interesting even though the majority of them were terribleeee to Jude.

I liked our main character Jude a lot more as the story continued. In the beginning she is a little too contemplative for my liking, too sulky, too bland. Towards the middle and a small bit of the end big dawg is bold. She is willing to do whatever she needs to and isn't going to waste a moment of her time thinking about it and that is... damaging in reality but soooo exciting to read about. Low-key, buddy might be going a little crazy, but only a little and that ladies and gentlemen allows for a twisty and turny story line and fun character to follow. She is like the opposite of America Singer from The Selection series who thought and rethought and rethought EVERYTHING before she even took a step out the door. That is capital B Boring to read! We need some impulsiveness and we need it now! It actually reminded me a bit of Mare towards the end of The Red Queen series. And here at Rad Reads we praise that series. She was willing to do whatever for her cause and didn't care about the repercussions. She was fine with the fact that some people would resent her and hate her and blame her. She was fine with the fact that there was no way that everyone would make it in the end. She had been through so much that she was in total self preservation mode and I think it is really exciting to read about, plus, then the story moves a lot quicker. I thought it was very interesting how she looks at Madoc like a father figure becuase he raised her, even though he is the one that murdered her parents and took her to Faerie and basically started this life of suffering for her. It is interesting how that realization develops and how that shifts the dynamic in the end. I think it is really cool how she has grown to see that she needs to be sharp and a strategist and quicker that the faeries. If she cannot make up what they have in physical power and magical powers, she must do it in another way. Smart smart smart! You really want to root for her! Jude loves Fae but she shouldn't because she's human! I don't know, it's a cool dynamic to consider! It is like she is going against herself? I liked that once she was betrayed she was stone cold to those that betrayed her no matter the past connection to them. It is so annoying when you want a character to hate someone but they don't! Not the case in The Cruel Prince! I liked how Jude evolved as a character from this girl that just wants to be accepted to this total baller that will poison herself and do... some insanely tough stuff (ugh it is hard not to spoil!) to get a foot forward.

Now, I know thus far I have only had positive things to say about this book and you may be wondering why I only gave it 3 stars. I gave it three stars because I feel like it had the most dragged out boring ending that did not match the pace of the rest of the book at all.

There was a hugeeeee zinger towards the beginning of the end (if that makes sense) that really got me, to the point where I had to sit back and look out at the world and just accept the insanity in the pages of this book. I found that to be the climax of the story, yet I don't think that was the intended climax. After that, it was all confusing and uninteresting. Maybe I found it confusing because I was now so uninterested? Whatever. Anyways, that was the point where the book went from a four, maybe even five star rating to a three. There was just attempt at epic battle after attempt at epic battle after attempt at epic battle and the whole time I was like nooooooo let's go back to that one part that was actually the most exciting and interesting part of the story! The battles could have been saved for the second book because I found this first one to be primarily centered around getting to know the characters and their motivations and their world very deeply. I was interested in that, I cared about that! It was very --and I mean VERY-- well written. Then the mojo of the book changed and I didn't want it to because I felt like there was a lot that went unfinished with my favorite character. Hint hint: Locke is my favorite character... I really enjoyed how the entire time you just feel a little off about him. There is an air of excitement each time we followed him around. Nooo spoilers though... ;)

Some people praised this book for being so unique. I just didn't really agree with that at all. I'm not criticizing it for not being unique, I think to be completely unique in a world with so so so many amazing books is relatively impossible. To criticize a book for not being original is a little ridiculous sometimes, I think. I just didn't see anything in here that I hadn't seen before. Betrayal? Been done before. Evil fae? Been a staple since... like... the 17th century. Character that "doesn't belong?" Don't even get me started. Like I said though, I didn't have a problem at all with the lack of uniqueness in this novel. I thought there was plenty that the author took her own take, interpretation, and style on. However, there was nothing about this book that made me think "Wow! Unique!" Like I said, not really a problem though. That didn't take away from anything at all for me!

Okay rad readers, sorry for the many many many jumbled thoughts, there was just so much going on in this book and so many takes I had to make. There were parts of it that were great and parts of it that were lame and my feelings were very mixed and thus you get a very mix review!

Stay Rad, Readers,

- C8 ;)

War Storm// Book Talk!

Hello Rad Readers!!

This is a post written with a tinge of sadness, because this is the last of the Red Queen series, one that I have loved so so so greatly. I know that Broken Throne is a book of a few novellas and I will likely read it, but this is the last major story for Mare Barrow and the gang, and I really fell totally in love with these books. The story, the characters, the way it was written, the overarching message, I just don't think I have enough positive words in my vocabulary to properly compliment the greatness of this series and this specific book as well. A truly great and exciting conclusion to a story deserving of one.

Okay, so since this is the finale of the series there really isn't anything that I can say that isn't a spoiler. If you haven't read this series you really should go pick it up, it is wonderful and I know some people thing that it is over hyped in the book lover community but I completely disagree. I think it deserves all the hype it gets and more. I am honestly surprised it doesn't have the same devotion towards it that the Shadowhunter Chronicles gets because it has a lot of parallels. Extremely well developed world, characters that you are emotionally invested in, and a fantastical, mesmerizing, high stakes story. If you like good books then you will like this book...

SPOILERS HURTLING AT YOU IN 3, 2, 1...

Soooo, I really enjoy how we begin just hours after the ending of King's Cage, Mare and Cal are on... rocky terms I think it is fare to say, and I think this was a power move and a half for Victoria Aveyard. This is what is good for the story because now, me, as a reader, I just cannot put it down until I have closure on their relationship. Is Cal going to seriously ACTUALLY choose the throne, the lifestyle that has rejected Mare time and time again, or is he going to get it together and grow a freaking spine and stand up for what he really believes in? Well, we got the answer but only in the last-- what? 100 pages? That's okay though because between those pages was just an absolute storm (lol get the pun) of insanity. Where do I begin?

Like I said previously, I like that we open hours after Cal makes his decision and I like that Mare reminds the reader that she is heart broken but also totallyyyyy done with it. Thank you Mare becuase you are stronger than him and could honestly do wayyy better. He is weak and doesn't know hoe to make up his mind and is still hung up on the death of his prejudice father who wanted you dead and his evil brother who tried to kill you more times than it is even worth counting and imprisoned and tormented you for six months. You on the other hand have lightning that shoots out of your fingers on your command and can create storms just by thinking about it and you started a revolution. She is heartbroken but she still knows who the boss is, herself. And that lady's and gentlemen is freaking sick.

Let us move on to the new narrative track that was introduced to us, Iris, the queen of the Lakelands. Next to Levana, Iris is definitely the most evil character in the story. Maven is evil but not inherently. He doesn't want to be that way his mother mind controlled him into it. Iris on the other hand is a stone cold killer. Buddy wants power and class and anyone who stands in the way of that dead. She doesn't even bat an eye at that fact and is so blatantly honest in her inner dialogue that it is truly rattling. She offered something pretty cool to the story because Maven finally had a competitor aside from Mare and Cal. They had no complicated back story with one another, Iris simply just wanted to marry him for an alliance and then kill him that way she could have more power. The fact that the both of them know that they both want the other dead is pretty nuts and.

This was pretty slowly built up, similar to the way Glass Sword was written. We spent a lot of time talking about what we were going to do before we actually started doing it, and we spent a lot of time thinking about characters and what we wanted it say to them rather than actually saying to to them and that my fellow rad readers is FRUSTRATING!

I enjoyed getting Cal's and Maven's perspectives on a regular bases in this novel because that is honestly what I have been wanting this entire time, and I hate myself for having to say this but full disclosure time, Maven is my favorite character... ahhh so terrible but so true. He is just so exciting! You never know what is going through his head until you are in his head and then you still don't really know what his deal is because Elara's whispers are still in there too!

A part of the plot that I personally felt was very intriguing was exploring Mare's PTSD from when she was captured. The moment with the silent stone on the cliff when the company was being attacked was mostly filler action, but this is where Mare fully recognizes that she has been seriously messed up. I think this is an interesting plot point because so many time characters go through very trying times like the ones Mare experienced in King's Cage and then the next thing you know it is like nothing happened to them. The is not how that works and also I like that we get to see Mare's recovery period. It makes the emotion and the story feel raw and real. Once again just showcasing Victoria Aveyard's impeccable writing skills.

My favoriteeeeee part of the book was after Maven and Iris rated whatever base that Mare and Cal and the gang had just left but Mare and all them are able to communicate with Maven and Iris through Rash (one of the triplets). It was just such a neat idea and so well executed! I was reading every word so carefully and intensely because I didn't want to miss a beat. It was absolutely enthralling. Once Maven heard Mare's voice and lost it I was like hereeeee weeee goooo. I love their interactions because they are always at such high stakes. There is never a point in any part of this story as a whole, and this goes for all the books, when they are talking and things aren't said with extreme gravity.

I love how good Mare is at reading people, I have said that in other reviews I've given on the other books in this series, but I think that it is a really cool character trait to expand on (that was duly expanded on) because when it all comes down to it, she was just a thief in the beginning of all of this. She was just a girl that would steal from the silvers that way she wouldn't starve. She learned how to read people then and she uses it to her advantage now. She knows how to not let people read her and I think it is just a really really cool character trait.

As for Anabel and Julian... Don't like them... nope not at all. I liked how they got the trade done with Iris, because that is really why Mare won in the first place but I just don't like how sneaky and selfish they are. What they want is only for them or only for Cal or only for the throne and they just don't seem to accept the new ideas. They will act like they do care about the cause to Mare's face but everything with them is rocky. You don't know if Julian is on Mare's side or just pretending to save face. You know Anabel doesn't like Mare but she would never really show it. I just don't like how sneaky and two faced the both of them are and I really hated the effect they had on Cal. I think that without their doing, Cal never would have made all of his dumb decisions in the first place and half the conflict in the book would have been solved in a chapter... but that's just me... ;)

Evangeline's story line is pretty crazy... with all the drama with her and Elane and then the question with weather or not her brother would take her side and then finding out that her father never cared for her he just needed a daughter to pawn off for alliances to kings... ugh, no wonder that girl was so awful in the beginning. She is like the definition of projecting. All in all, homie redeemed herself, still don't forgive her brother for killing Shade but I am very very happy that Evangeline got a happily ever after because that is what she deserved.

I loved most, all of the references to the previous installments of this story. When Mare goes to Iris, "Even dogs bite," because of what Iris said to her in the previous book basically telling Mare that she would kill Maven if she got the chance! When Annabel told Maven to feel to Cal because he was the king and buddy goes "No, I don't think so," BUT THAT HAD A DOUBLE MEANING because in the first book when Mare is down and she goes to Maven "help me up," and then he says, "No, I don't think so," and that is the first time he betrays her and that is when we learn that he has been the bad guy all along... CRAZY. When Cal tells Maven when they try to meet for a truce, "Until we meet again," BUT THAT IS HOW MAVEN WOULD END HIS LETTERS TO MARE!!!!!!! Cal knew what he was doing and that just made Maven lose it and I just loved it so much. It was absolutely maddening and absolutely genius. A thousand rounds of applause is what those moments deserved!

Okay rad readers, that is just about all I have to say about this roller coaster of a series. I loved loved loved it so so so much and I hope you did too.

Maven deserved better,

- C8 ;)